Our History

The first attempt at introducing Internet in Nigeria was made through the UNESCO sponsored Regional Informatics Networks for Africa (RINAF) project. At one of the several workshops held to propagate the idea, the Nigeria Internet Group (NIG) was formed as a non-profit, non-governmental organization to promote and facilitate Internet access.

Towards the end of the 90s, several Internet Service Providers (ISPs) came into existence, including pioneer firms like Linkserve, Cyberspace, Hyperia, Infoweb, PINET, Skannet, and Steineng.

ISPs formed the 'Committee of ISPs' to advocate for reduced cost of Internet access. This meeting attracted the majority of ISPs in Nigeria and later transformed into the Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN). The idea of an Internet Exchange Point was first discussed at this meeting.

Sunday Folayan and Fisayo Adeleke, of Skannet (GDES Ltd.) and Steineng Ltd., two Ibadan based ISPs, raised the idea of setting up the Ibadan Internet Exchange (Ib-IX).

In March, the Ibadan Internet Exchange (Ib-IX) eventually came alive with a layer-2 infrastructure. In June, an IXP workshop spearheaded by Maxwell Kadiri with support from ISPAN and the French embassy became the first major step to sensitize the ISP community on the need for an IXP.

ISPAN started a discussion on setting up the Lagos Internet Exchange. In November, President Olusegun Obasanjo directed the NCC to ensure that the nation gets its own Internet Exchange Point as soon as possible, and an IXP setup committee was constituted.

The Board of the NCC approved a proposal to partly fund the setting-up of Internet Exchange Points in Nigeria via a collaboration between NCC and ISPAN. IXPN began operations from NECOM House (Marina, Lagos) as its main location.

Marked the commissioning of the IXPN head office at the 8th Floor, NCR building on Broad Street, Lagos. The ceremony was presided over by the Executive Vice Chairman of NCC, Dr. Eugene Ikemefuna Juwah.